Metroid XP
by ZachaRicO
Summary: When a mission goes horribly wrong, famed bounty hunter Samus Aran finds herself trapped in a world beyond her galaxy. In her struggle to get back, she reluctantly enlists the help of new friends, including fellow bounty hunter Captain Falcon, and finds herself confronting a sinister enemy from this world. Can she prevail? Currently on Hiatus
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Beyond the Border

"In or out?" came the voice. "Decide."

She clenched her fist, conflicted. She knew that the right thing to do was to say yes, but at the same time she couldn't just forget the past and act like it never happened.

After a moment of thought, she shook her head. "I can't."

"Listen," the voice said again, "I know you don't want to work with him again, but there are bigger things happening right now than you and him. We need your help...and we need it now. You two are the only ones who can help us."

"Find someone else," she snapped. "I work alone."

"There _is_ no one else," the voice growled, growing impatient. "No one else can match your skill; no one else has your prowess. Look: I don't ask much of you anymore. This is the first time in years I've asked anything from you."

"And when you do ask me, you conveniently ask me to work with the last man in the universe I want to work with. Yeah, that seems reasonable, doesn't it? Sorry, but it's your loss."

"If you refuse this, it won't just be our loss. It'll be yours as well, along with anyone else who suffers these heinous crimes. If you want to put up with that, be our guest."

She ground her teeth angrily. _They always have a way to reel me in_ she growled. "Where do you want to meet?"

A slight chuckle came from the other end. "That's better. Meet us at Space Station 32."

"I'll be there."

"I look forward to it. See you soon..._Samus Aran._"

* * *

The renowned bounty hunter glanced around, anticipating her companion's arrival. Adjusting her arm cannon in case of an emergency, she fiddled with other various aspects of her signature Power Suit, ensuring it was in optimal condition for whatever mission she'd been called for.

"I see you made an affirmative decision."

Samus clenched her fist and turned towards her companion. "I didn't do it for our client, Douglas," she growled. "I did it because it's what's best for the galaxy...and the universe at large."

Her suave companion, also a renowned bounty hunter as well as a racer, just smirked. "Itching to get back into action, are we?"

"Can it," she pointed her cannon at him abruptly. "I don't want to hear so much as _one_ suggestive remark from that smartass mouth of yours. If I do, I'll blow you helmet off."

He raised his hands in front of him, backing away slightly. "Sheesh, cool it, Sam," he shrugged. "I didn't even get started."

"Good," she nodded, lowering her cannon. "Leave it that way." A sudden beeping sound caught her attention, and she pulled out her hologram. "All right. What do you want us to do?"

"There have been small raids on the far reaches of the galaxy. We don't know who's causing trouble, but they've been causing some serious ruckus. Take them out, and bring back anyone you can."

"The far reaches of the galaxy?" Samus mused, a concerned look lining her face, though it couldn't be seen behind her helmet. "Isn't that beyond the border?"

"Yes, it is," the voice nodded.

"But why would they be over there?" the other bounty hunter scratched his head. "They wouldn't try to leave the galaxy, would they?"

"Rubbish," Samus snapped, regaining her composure. "Nobody's ever successfully left the galaxy before."

"Well they technically have," her companion casually reminded her. "They just all died."

Samus grabbed the hem of his shirt, anger lining her eyes which could be seen faintly through her visor. "Don't make light of death, Douglas."

"Whoa, hey! Easy, Sam!" he pulled away, cowering slightly. "I was only saying."

"You're better off quiet," she snapped. "Either that or devote yourself to full-time racing."

"Hey, neither of these are hobbies, all right?" he defended himself. "They're both jobs that pay off, and I wouldn't give up one for the other even if my life depended on it."

"Hmph," she grunted. "Let's just get this over with."

The hologram she held changed from her client's image to a map of the galaxy, a small area on the very edge blinking. "Your target area is here," the voice came. "There's not a moment to lose."

"Understood," Samus nodded. "We'll call you when it's done." With that, she shut the device down and turned to her companion. "Come on, Cap. Let's move."

Captain Falcon nodded, smirking. "Let the falcon fly, baby!"

* * *

The two ships soared through the star-filled void of space, side by side: Samus' starship and the Falcon Flyer.

"Status?" Falcon called.

"All systems are go," Samus nodded, adjusting the last of her settings. "Prepare to go into hyperspeed."

"Roger," he nodded. "How long should it take before we get there?"

"By my estimate, about ten minutes."

"Ten minutes?!" Falcon exclaimed. "Whatever happened to the usual two to five?"

"We're heading towards the edge of the galaxy," she reminded him. "It's not a short trip."

"Well I guess that makes sense," he shrugged. "Still and all, how far can it be?"

"Far enough to be more dangerous than usual," she became stern. "Do not let yourself get knocked outside the galaxy's border. If we lose you out there, we won't be able to get you back. Understood?"  
"Yes."

"Good," she nodded, reaching for a large lever and slowly pulling it. "Activating hyperdrive...NOW!"

With that, the two ships shot into the sky, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

* * *

When the ships slowed down, they found themselves near a small moon. Another ship, slightly larger, darker, and more sinister, was orbiting the moon menacingly.

"All right, listen up," Samus called from her ship, a massive loudspeaker amplifying her sound, "if you're causing trouble here, we're giving you the option of either leaving or heading off to the detention center."

The ship's leader merely snickered in response. "Ah, the renowned bounty hunter, Samus Aran, and her boyfriend, the legendary Captain Falcon, working together to capture their prey. Isn't that precious?"

A laser shot from Samus' ship and hit the dark ship, rocking it. "Hey!" Falcon snapped. "What gives?!"

"I didn't come for wisecracks, dammit," she growled fiercely. "I came to settle a score. Your choice is simple: surrender or leave."

"Tough decision," the ship's leader mockingly pondered this a moment. "All right. We surrender."

"Ha! That was easier than I was expecting," Captain Falcon grinned.

With that, the two ships extended their tractor beams, drawing the dark ship in. It moved slowly, as though calculating. Its shadow didn't cover them, but you couldn't tell the difference.

"I don't like this," Samus whispered through her link.

"What?" Falcon replied. "The big bad gives up so easily?"

"It's never this easy."

"If it was, we would've been scrapped long ago."

"They scrapped you, you know."

"That's cuz I found a better gig."

"YOU FOOLS!"

They started on the sudden shout from the dark ship's leader. Almost instantly, their controls started going haywire.

"What is this?!" Samus shouted. "What the hell is going on?!"

"Did you really think we would surrender so easily?!" the ship's leader sneered. "We don't work that way. You fell for the oldest trick in the book! Hahaha!"

Samus steered her ship, or tried to, but nothing was responding. "Dammit!" she cursed. "What have you done?!"

"We've infected your ship with a virus that relieves you of all control while _we_ take over!"

"Samus!" Falcon called from his ship. "I'm losing altitude, heading for the moon!"

"Can you eject?"

"No! I'm stuck, I – oh, no…"  
Samus was seriously worried now. "What is it? What's going on?"

"Samus...I'm heading for –"

With that, he was cut off, his line going static. "Falcon? _Falcon?!_ What happened?!"

"FWAHAHAHAHAHAAA!" the dark ship's leader roared. "You fools should have known better than to come out _this_ far for an assignment!"

Her eyes widened in horror. "_You_," she whispered in fury. "You sent him...across the…"

"Yes; yes we did!" the voice snarled. "And _you're_ next! You may have stopped us before, but THIS time, the jump's on YOU!"

She looked out the cockpit and saw she was heading straight for the edge of the galaxy with no way to stop herself. She squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself for the absolute worst, managing to catch a glimpse of a blinding flash of light before a lurch knocked her head against her helmet and knocked her out.

* * *

"Samus?"

There was no response. Her client tapped his link again to make sure it wasn't broken. "Samus, do you copy? Samus! If you can hear me, say something! Anything!"

There was still no response. His eyes went wide in horror. "No...it can't be...not Samus…"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: A Shocking Escape

Grothma stood on the balcony outside her office at the small factory, grimly staring at the sky. The facility's operations were currently on hold due to a significant lack of power, though some of her agents promised to bring something that would solve this problem. They'd left in the morning and had yet to report anything, much less return. Despite their dedication, they were completely incapable of making any real progress. She wouldn't be surprised if they wound up screwing everything up.

"I should have known better than to let them run off like that," she grumbled to herself. "I don't have time to wait for a report of failure." She pulled out a comlink and was about to ring up some other agents when the link itself buzzed.

"Commander Grothma?"

"What is it?!" she barked in irritation.

"Our scouts just found something strange in the forest. I think you may want to come and investigate."

She raised an eyebrow, pondering a moment, then replied, "I'll be there shortly." With that, she put the link away, rolling her eyes. _It's probably nothing_ she huffed, flipping her dark violet bangs out of her piercing, lavender eyes as she strolled back inside.

When she arrived at the site, she was surprised to find a small wreckage of what appeared to be a spaceship had leveled a good part of the forest, smoking from the crash. "What's this?" she wondered.

"We did tell you we found something strange, didn't we?" her companion replied.

"You've said that before," she replied. "And it's been nothing, but this...this is nothing like I've seen before. Where did it come from?"

"The sky, of course," her companion shrugged. "Where else could it have come from?"

"That only tells us where it ended up," she snapped. "It's only one end of the string. Where's the other end?"

"Could we just follow it?"

"We could...but we don't know how long the string is." A dark smirk lined her lips. "I prefer to have both ends of a string in both of my hands." She turned sharply to the scout squad. "Search this vessel, and bring out anything out of the ordinary," she ordered. "We need power sources, understand?"

The squad nodded and immediately set to work. For the next few minutes, the only sounds to be heard were those of a group of scouts ransacking a spaceship, searching for anything that could give power. After five minutes, the squad leader came out.

"We found numerous power sources on this ship," he reported. "Unfortunately, they're all locked under some form of code we've never encountered before. The only noteworthy thing we could find was this." He motioned to the ship, and four scouts came out carrying what appeared to be a humanoid cyborg. It was limp and unmoving, apparently shut down, mainly colored red and orange with green eye visors. One arm, rather than having the usual fingers, was a cannon.

"Let's disassemble it," Grothma ordered. "There's gotta be some source of power in here."

"We already tried," the leader shook his head. "It's locked together tightly. I suspect we need to give it a jump if we want to work with it at all."

Grothma nodded and turned back towards the facility. "Bring it back home. We'll make good work of it." She smiled a shady smile as they walked back, dragging the mechanical corpse behind them.

* * *

"Now remember," Grothma admonished, "don't use too much energy. We have to conserve."

"Understood," an agent nodded. "All right...jumping the cyborg in three...two…"

A jolt of electricity surged through the cyborg, causing it to shudder and shake. After a few seconds, it stopped and started to tip over again, only the wires holding it up. That was when the green visor blinked and lit up. The head of the cyborg looked up sharply.

"Huh?" its voice, clearly masculine, stuttered. "Where am I? What happened?"

Grothma smirked her dark smile. "It seems we have a winner here," she sneered. "Bind it up. We're going to extract all the power we can from this thing."

The cyborg recoiled in fright. "What?! My Power Suit?! No! You'll have none of that!" With that, it pulled on the wires that bound it, snapping them with ease.

"Grah!" Grothma exclaimed. "Stop that thing!"

The agents surrounding the cyborg pulled out some rifles and began firing, but the bullets bounced harmlessly off the armor. The cyborg, meanwhile, held up its cannon and whipped out a light blue laser whip, slashing at its opponents and knocking them back.

"What?!" Grothma snapped in anger. "You insolent machine! What are you?!"

The cyborg retracted its whip and glared at her, standing upright. "My name is Samus: the most renowned bounty hunter in the galaxy. If I was you, I'd stand back."

Grothma smirked. "Such insolence, hm? Sorry, but I don't play by those rules. Take it down, men!"

With that, a horde of agents swarmed into the room and mauled the bounty hunter, seemingly overwhelming her, while their leader stood by with a sinister smile on her face. This smile vanished, however, when a sudden explosion from within the chaos blasted all her men back, knocking some of them out and leaving the rest of them barely conscious. The only one still standing was Samus herself, unharmed and unfazed.

"Impossible!" Grothma whispered in disbelief. "How can you have such power?!"

"Sorry, but I don't have time to chat," Samus smirked, adjusting her cannon. With that, she blasted a hole in the wall and strode through, leaving the stunned Grothma behind.

* * *

"Now I just need to get out of here," Samus muttered, "and fix this voice chip." Her voice still sounded masculine through the speaker on her suit. She only used that voice chip back when she wasn't as well-known as she was today. Nevertheless, she was pleased with the fact that her would-be captors knew nothing of her identity as of yet. She blasted another door open and strode into a room, shock lining her face at what she saw in there:

The room was barren for the most part, a small table with a capsule on top of it being the only noteworthy thing...aside from what was inside the capsule itself. A small, innocent-looking creature was being electrocuted inside. It was yellow and mouse-like, with a tail shaped like a lightning bolt. The process stopped, and it fell to the capsule's floor, squeaking weakly.

"Oh my goodness," she whispered. "Hang on." With that, she balled her fist and punched the capsule open, freeing the little creature and setting off an alarm. Several agents burst in, guns in hand. She readied her own gun, but before she could do anything the little creature jumped in front of her, standing on all fours, fur bristling with sparks.

What happened next shocked Samus (no pun intended), as a powerful current of electricity shot out of its body and electrocuted the agents, knocking them out. She lowered her gun and looked at the creature, eyes wide.

"How did you do that?!"

The creature just grinned at her. "_Pika!_"

"Okay...come on. Let's get out of here."

* * *

Just outside the facility, Samus and her companion were about to escape the facility when a giant robot dropped from above, blocking their way.

"Ungh!" she stopped, readying herself for combat.

"You're not going anywhere, you insolent pest!" Grothma sneered from above, obviously controlling the mech. Samus' companion let another current fire at the robot, only to have it deflected by a mirror. Samus fired a missile, but it couldn't make a dent.

She clenched her fist, looking at her companion. "I have an idea, but I need you to distract her while I get ready. Can you do that?"

"_Pika!_"

"Okay." With that, she dialed something on her cannon arm while the little creature darted around, seemingly engaging the robot in combat, although in truth it was only being a nuisance. Fortunately, it was enough to annoy Grothma, who put everything she had into catching the little rodent. Finally, she caught it, gripping it in a metal fist.

"I've got you now, you little rat!"

"Not today!"

She looked and saw Samus pointing her cannon at the mech; it was glowing.

"What –"

Before she could utter another word, a massive laser burst from the cannon and consumed the robot, effectively destroying it and shocking Grothma in the process. The rodent was freed and jumped back to Samus' side. Finally, a massive explosion rocked the area, sending everyone in the vicinity flying.

As Samus flew, her Power Suit fell apart, the power of the laser having exhausted it.

Grothma sputtered as she got up from the ground, covered in ashes. A snarl lined her face as rage boiled in her veins.

"No one gets away with playing a Team Rocket executive like that," she growled. "I'll make you pay, Samus...and your little Pikachu, too…"

* * *

**All right, all right...I'll start talking. Yes, this is a Metroid-Pokemon crossover. I know that's not the most popular pairing of universes, but I thought about it a little and figured that Samus would have good chemistry with the heroes of the Pokemon world. That and I think she has an interesting character to explore: I don't play Metroid games, so I had to do research for this one.**

**So if this is a Metroid-Pokemon crossover, what's Captain Falcon doing here? Simple: he and Samus play off each other well, so I figured pairing them up would be a good idea.**

**What do you think? Feel free to rate and review. If you don't like my story, please politely tell me why.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: A Strange New World

The cool night became quiet after the skirmish with Grothma's mech. The only sounds to be heard were the calls of the nocturnal creatures. Samus shuddered at these, as she was in a strange place. Was she even in her galaxy anymore? She highly doubted it. And where was her starship? She clenched her fist.

"I've got to find it," she muttered. "And I've got to find Falcon."

"_Pika?_"

She looked at her companion, Pikachu. "It doesn't concern you," she shook her head, trying to be soft. "Are you all right? You got electrocuted back there."

"_Pika!_" Pikachu grinned, giving her a thumbs-up with his paw.

Her eyes widened. "How did you survive? A shock like that would kill a normal creature."

Pikachu tilted his head to the side, a puzzled expression on his face. "_Pika_," he shrugged, unsure of how to answer this stranger's question.

Seeing she was getting nowhere with this strange creature, Samus took to finding a hiding place to rest for the night. Pikachu went with her. They found a small cave that provided shelter from the night, and after getting settled in, they fell asleep.

The next morning, a chattering sound woke Samus. Grumbling dreadfully, she slowly stepped out of her makeshift shelter and saw Pikachu sniffing the air.

"What are you up to now?" she asked.

"_Pika Pi!_" Pikachu called without responding. She looked around to see if anyone was around. When she saw no one, she turned back to him.

"Don't waste your time. We need to find my starship. Come on." She turned to explore the forest.

"_Pi?_"

She turned back and saw him looking at her, head tilted again. "Are you coming or not?"

Pikachu scratched behind his head, as though to ponder whether or not he should go. Before he could answer, however, a roar shook the forest around them. Samus whipped out a gun and looked around sharply. Suddenly, a shadow loomed over her. Turning around, she looked up and found herself staring into the face of an angry bear-like creature.

"_Pika pika!_" Pikachu cried.

"Hmph," she snorted. "Nothing I can't handle." With that, she fired her plasma ray gun, stunning the creature a moment. Then it roared in her face, louder this time. She leapt up and kicked it smack in the jaw. It threw her to the ground. Pikachu leapt up to fight, but the creature knocked him away with a powerful swipe. The poor creature fell on its side and lost consciousness. The bear advanced on him.

"No!" Samus shouted, stepping in-between them. The bear snarled and growled, swiping at her with its paws. She nimbly dodged and delivered a roundhouse kick to the back of its head. It whirled around and snapped at her, missing as she kicked it in the jaw once again. She landed on the ground and fired another plasma beam. The bear was barely stunned, and it stomped over to her. She stood there a moment, then suddenly flew into the air feet-first and delivered a series of rapid kicks to the bear, finishing with a powerful kick that knocked it back slightly. It recovered quickly and jumped into the air with full intention to land on top of her. She rolled out of the way and, when it landed, she flipped gracefully into the air and shot straight down, her foot pointed straight at the bear's back. The beast roared in severe pain as she leapt off, still landing on her own two feet and ready for more. It stood up, roaring in fury.

"Is that all?" she smirked, twirling a plasma whip. "Come on. Show me something I haven't faced before."

The bear opened its mouth, and energy began to form inside it. Samus' eyes widened, and she quickly ducked for cover. The bear fired a huge beam of pure energy that made a real mark on the forest around them. When it dissipated, the bear's eyes rolled as it wavered, dizzy from the attack. Then it started to fall down...and its trajectory was heading towards Pikachu!

"No!" Samus exclaimed, jumping out and rushing forward. Despite her best intentions, she knew she wouldn't make it in time to save the innocent creature.

She didn't have to. A vine suddenly whipped out of nowhere and snatched one of the bear's arms. Samus slid to a halt when she saw this, and watched as another vine snatched the bear's other arm. Curious, she turned and saw that the vines were coming from another strange creature not even half the size of the bear. This one, however, looked more like a turtle with an affinity for the forest.

"_Grrrrrro–TLLLLLLE!_" it screamed, throwing the bear to the side. It landed face-first and stopped moving, though it was still breathing. Samus exhaled and rushed back to Pikachu. He was still unconscious.

"He needs help," she muttered. "But where can I get some?"

"Pikachu!"

She looked up sharply on hearing the voice and saw a human rushing towards her. He was smaller than her, but his face was dripping with sweat. Anxiety lined his eyes. He ran up and scooped Pikachu into his arms. "Are you okay?"

"_Pi...ka…_" Pikachu squeaked weakly.

"Hang on, buddy," he nodded, his eyes now lit with determination. "Let's get you to the Pokemon Center." With that, he ran off. "Come on, Grotle! Return!" The turtle creature disappeared as a red beam of energy consumed it.

Samus stood up and brushed herself off. "Not even a 'thank you,' huh?" she muttered. "Well, then...if that's the way it's gonna be, I'll just extract your gratitude from you." With that, she ran after the boy at a speed faster than what the average human could run. Soon she was out of the forest. When she saw she was out in the open, she quickly concealed herself in a nearby bush to see what would happen next.

The boy ran to a small building with a red roof. Another boy, clearly older than him, came out. They talked a bit, then they went inside; the sliding doors shut behind them.

_So what was that all about?_ Samus wondered. _Was that his pet or something? Hmph. He must not be a very good owner if he let him run off like that. I wouldn't have let that metroid run off._ She paused her train of thought as she remembered the last metroid, now gone from her life. _I hope he's in a better place now._

"How bad was it?"

She jumped on hearing the sudden voice and turned sharply to see who it was. As it turned out, it was the two boys and a blunette girl.

"Not horrible, but still pretty bad," the first boy said. "An Ursaring attacked him."

"That's awful!" the girl exclaimed. "How did he survive?"

"Well, you know Pikachu," the boy chuckled, putting a hand behind his head. "He's a fighter like me."

"Yeah, but it takes more than guts to survive," the second boy admonished. "Ursarings are large Pokemon. It would be difficult even for Pikachu to put up a decent fight."

"Well, there was a girl with him when I found him." Samus perked on hearing that. "She looked pretty tired, too. I'm guessing she helped him."

"Did she say anything?" the girl asked.

"I didn't wait for her to say anything. I was too worried about Pikachu, so I just grabbed him and ran off."

_Typical boy_ Samus rolled her eyes.

"Well, he should be fine, now," the older boy smiled. As if on cue, the little creature, obviously Pikachu, trotted out and ran up to his master.

"Hey, Pikachu!" he laughed, scooping him up and hugging him. "Nice to see you made it out in one piece!"

"_Pika Pikachu_!" Pikachu exclaimed. After a moment, his ear twitched, and he suddenly jumped out of his master's arms, sniffing around as though puzzled. "_Pika_?"

"What is it?" the boy asked. "Looking for something?"

"_Pika_," Pikachu shrugged, and started back for his master. Before he'd taken one step, however, a sudden force pulled him off the ground and into the sky.

The three humans gasped. "Pikachu!" the boy cried.

"What's happening?" the girl exclaimed.

"Fwahaha!" came a low, female voice from above. "Listen, is that a twerpish voice I hear?"

"It's shrieking to me loud and clear," came another voice, this one male.

"On the wind!"

"Past the stars!"

"In your ear!" came a third voice that was unrecognizable.

"Bringing chaos at a breakneck pace."

"Dashing hope, putting fear in its place."

"A rose by any other name is sweet."

"When everything's worse, our work is complete!"

"Jessie!"

"And it's James!"

"And Meowth, now dat's a name!"

"Putting the do-gooders in their place..."

"...we're Team Rocket…"

"IN YOUR FACE!"

"_Woooooobbuffet_!"

Samus sat in her hiding spot, a blank expression on her face as she watched the three performers (that's what she thought they were) hold the struggling Pikachu while they stood in a balloon. _What the hell did I just watch? Is this the galactic theater troupe or something?_

"Team Rocket!" the Pikachu's master cried. "Gimme back my Pikachu!"

"Ah-ah-ah," the woman wagged her finger, a snide expression on her face. "What's the magic word?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," the boy snarled, pulling out a ball. "How impolite of me." He threw the ball in the air. "Go, Monferno! Use Flame Wheel!" The ball opened, releasing white energy that materialized into a fiery monkey that leapt up, spinning towards the balloon while fire blazed on its form. It never reached its target, as it slammed into an invisible barrier and bounced off, falling down, dazed.

"What?!" the girl exclaimed. "What was that?!"

"We created a force field based on Wobbuffet's Mirror Coat!" the young man sneered from above.

"None of your Pokemon's attacks will break through, now!" the third voice, belonging to a talking cat, laughed.

"And to seal the deal," the woman chuckled darkly as she pressed a button on a remote in her hand. Suddenly, three spinning metal rods shot out from the bottom of the balloon and clamped over the three humans, tying their arms behind their back. The momentum knocked them to the ground, helpless to escape.

"No!" the boy cried.

"You won't get away with this!" the girl shouted.

"We already are!" the thieves sneered, laughing all the while.

"I've seen ENOUGH!"

Everyone started on hearing the new voice. Suddenly, a long, plasma whip shot out of the bushes and latched onto the balloon, forcefully pulling on it.

"Ack! What is this?!" the woman exclaimed.

Samus leapt out of the bushes, her jet-powered heels giving her extra momentum to reach the balloon. She grabbed the ledge and pulled herself in.

"Hey!" the man shouted. "Get out of here!"

"You're taking up space!" the cat snapped.

She grabbed Pikachu out of the woman's arms, also knocking a remote to the ground, and tossed him down to the humans below. The boy, freed from the trap, leapt forward to catch him.

"See ya round," she flipped her hair into their eyes, forcing them to cover them. Then, nimble as an acrobat, she jumped out, hung on the side, and slashed her plasma whip at the balloon, bursting a hole in it. Then she leapt down while the thieves spiraled out of control and into the sky.

"What the devil just happened?!" the woman screamed angrily.

"That was our best plan yet!" the man shouted. "How did that fail?!"

"Either the twerps just get dumb lucky or we just got plopped into fan fiction!" the cat yelled.

"LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAIN!"

_Ding_.

Samus still held her landing pose on the ground, her arms and legs split apart with her head bowed down, breathing heavily. The three humans saw this and slowly came to her.

"Um...miss?" the boy with the Pikachu asked uncertainly. "Are you okay?"

Samus looked up, expression unchanging. "Terrific," she huffed. "Never been better." Then she stood up and started to walk away, but she slipped, nearly falling.

The humans gasped and ran over to her. "Are you okay?" the girl asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," she snapped, getting back to her feet only to fall again.

"You don't look fine," the older boy muttered, observing her ankle. "Looks like you twisted your ankle. You should come in and get it checked."

"Don't waste your time with me," she ground her teeth, clearly annoyed. She stood up again, but this time when she tripped, she fell painfully flat on her face. "Uhh."

"Definitely a twisted ankle," the older boy nodded, walking over to her. "Come on, Ash. We gotta get her inside to get checked."

"Right," the boy said, joining him and turning to his friend. "Dawn, keep an eye on the Pokemon while we take our friend in."

"Sure thing, Ash!" the girl replied, chipper. "Er, where's Brock's Croagunk?"

"He's still recovering after that botched battle with Grotle," the older boy explained as he hoisted Samus' left arm over his shoulder.

"Man, he took a hard hit!" the younger boy muttered as he draped Samus' right arm over his shoulder. They dragged her to the building. "Sorry about that, Brock."

"Eh, no worries. He'll be fine."

"Honestly, I'm more worried about what Nurse Joy will go through with him unable to keep you in line," the girl joked.

"Don't worry, Dawn," the boy chuckled. "Pikachu'll keep him in check."

As the three friends talked, Samus just hung limply in their arms, a disgusted expression on her face. _This is humiliating_ she thought with a grumble. _But what can I do? My ankle's twisted and probably needs some tweaking. Meanwhile, my Power Suit and starship are still out there. I've got to find them before someone else makes a mess of them._

_And what the hell happened to Douglas?_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: New Plot, Odd Pop

"Well, it's not that bad," a pink-haired human with a white hat observed, holding Samus' leg. "I'm sure I can pop it back into place. Just give me five minutes."

"Will do," the boy called Ash nodded, smiling as he walked out of the room, followed by the older boy called Brock.

Samus lay helpless on the white sheet bed and let out a loud huff. "Make it quick, lady. I've got important business to attend to."

"Don't worry," she smiled; she was always smiling. "This won't take more than five minutes."

* * *

Five minutes later, Samus hobbled out of the room, her leg still sore from getting popped. Still and all, she was able to walk again, so that was consoling.

"You all right?" the younger boy, Ash, asked as he eagerly walked up to her.

"Fine," she replied, unfazed.

"Glad to hear it," he nodded. She started to walk away, only to see the boy holding his hand out to her. "What's that for?"

"Nothing; I just wanted to say thanks for saving Pikachu...twice," he smiled warmly.

She blinked a moment, frowning, then batted his hand away, turning. "Don't mention it."

"No really, I can't say how –"

"_Ever_."

The sharp, cold tone in her voice startled him. Seeing that she made her point, she turned away and started out again.

"Nice attitude," he shrugged, then rushed after her. "Hey, hold it!"

She rolled her eyes. "Now what?"

"You looked like you were in a hurry earlier," Ash said. "Why was that?"

"None of your business," she snapped at him, turning away again.

"All right," he shrugged, turning to go back into the building. Before he went in, he called out to her, "If you need any help, just let us know, okay?"

"Don't worry," Samus muttered to herself so that he couldn't hear. "I'll be just fine."

* * *

"How many pieces is that?" Grothma asked her men. "Come on! Gimme some stats!"

"It's not the whole thing, boss," one of the grunts shrugged. "We've got a head, a leg, and an arm, but that's it. We still need the corresponding leg and arm, as well as the body."

"And where are they?"

"Not sure, boss. The men are getting tired. We need a break."

The Team Rocket executive grabbed the grunt by the hem of his uniform and pulled him up to her height, glaring intensely into his eyes. "I want you to keep searching for those missing pieces. You will get no rest until you find them! Understand?!"

"Y-Yes, ma'am!" the grunt exclaimed, eyes wide with fear. "We'll get on it on the double, ma'am!"

"Good," she nodded, smirking as she lowered him back to the ground. "That power suit could be Team Rocket's ticket to total domination of the energy market. Just imagine the profits we'll make from selling this kind of energy!"

"Sorry, bitch. Can't let you do that."

Grothma started on hearing the feminine voice. She turned and saw a blonde woman in a blue jumpsuit holding a gun to her face. "What the hell?!" she exclaimed. "Who are you?!"

"Doesn't matter," Samus smirked. "You have something that belongs to me, and I want it back."

"Oh, really?" the Team Rocket executive smirked darkly. "You want the power suit, do you? Too bad. That suit is now property of Team Rocket."

Samus cracked her knuckles, twirling her gun in her hand. "Let me say that again: You have something that belongs to me, _and I want it back_." She pointed her gun back to Grothma's face. "We gonna do this the easy way or the hard way?"

Grothma stared into Samus' eyes, spite lining them. "You're quite the insolent one, aren't you?" she growled.

"Don't make me say it a third time. If I have to ask three times, I get mad, and you don't want to see me mad."

The next thing Samus knew, something slammed into her legs and knocked her onto her back. She quickly jumped back up to face her foe, but Grothma surprised her with a powerful kick to the stomach. Samus flew backwards, her back hitting a tree. Though fazed, she still leapt up with as much vigor as before and ran at her foe. Grothma whipped out a tazer before she could even get close and zapped her. Samus wasn't fazed, but she faltered slightly.

Unfortunately, this was enough to send her falling towards the ground, a burning pain in her ankle. She tried to stand up, grunting in pain, but when she stood on the hurting ankle, it roared in pain. She fell back down.

"Nice try, bitch," Grothma sneered, standing over her. "But I'm afraid your time is up."

"Not if I have anything to say about it!"

The two of them started at hearing the sudden masculine voice. "What's this?!"

A man dressed in a lavender jumpsuit with a red, visored helmet leapt out of the bushes, his fist flaming as he cried out:

"Falcon...PUNCH!"

His signature move scored a direct hit against the Team Rocket executive, and she flew backwards faster than Samus had. She hit a tree and fell facedown. Captain Falcon walked up to her and checked her before nodding with a smirk. "Nailed it."

"Douglas?" Samus breathed. "How did you get here?"

"Don't mind me," he shrugged. "I was just looking for you, that's all. Now that I've found you, we can get home."

"No," Samus shook her head. "Not yet. I need to get my Power Suit back first."

"Well then let's get it and get moving!" Falcon folded his arms impatiently. "This place is weird."

"Yeah, it is," Samus started to get up, but she fell down again when she stood on her bad ankle. "Ugh!"

"What? You okay?"

"I think I twisted my ankle again."

"Oh boy," Falcon muttered, coming over to her. "We better get you fixed up. Here, let me help you." He started to pick her up.

"Don't touch me!" she shouted, recoiling. "I know what you want from me."

"Look, Sam, we gotta get you somewhere that'll fix your ankle up. You can't walk. Let me help you. You won't make it otherwise."

Samus huffed, her face twisting into an angry grimace. "Fine. But this is the only time I'm ever letting you get this close to me."

"Fair enough," Falcon shrugged, hauling her up. He draped one of her arms over his shoulder so that her good ankle was on the ground while her bad ankle evaded pressure so it could start recovering. "There. Not so bad, right?"

"Just shut up and get moving."

"I would if I knew where I was going."

"There's a building that way," she pointed to the way she came from. "They fixed my ankle after I sprained it earlier."

"They did a fine job of it, didn't they?"

"They sure did."

The rest of the trek was quiet, as Samus hobbled back to the building where she met those kids with Falcon's help. Soon enough, they came out of the forest and into the clearing. The building stood over them, humble but firm.

"That's it," she nodded. Falcon continued to help her until they were in the door. The pink-haired human was there as well. When she saw Samus, she gasped.

"What happened? Did you twist your ankle again?"

"Yeah," she mumbled.

"Oh, dear, I'm so sorry," the lady exclaimed. "Here. I'll get you fixed up right away, and I'll make sure I get it right this time."

"Hmph," was all Samus said in reply as she took her into a room. Falcon looked around and removed his helmet, setting his brown hair free as he leaned on the polished counter.

"I wonder what's going on out here," he muttered.

"Um, sir?"

He turned to face the voice's owner: a raven-haired boy with a red cap and a yellow pet. Two others were with him: an older boy and a blunette.

"May I help you?" he asked.

"Yeah. I need to check my Pokemon in with Nurse Joy. You're kinda in the way."

"Oh!" he exclaimed, stepping out of the way. "Sorry. By the way, Nurse Joy's kinda busy with my partner Samus right now. I don't know when she'll be back out."

"That's okay," the boy smiled. "We can wait."

"What's with the outfit?" the older boy asked.

"Huh?" Falcon blinked. "It's my everyday outfit." He held out his hand. "Name's Captain Douglas J. Falcon, bounty hunter and F-Zero racer!"

The boys blinked. "That's quite a résumé!" the older one muttered.

"Eh, it's not much," he shrugged.

"My name's Ash," the younger boy stepped forward and shook his hand. "I'm from Pallet Town!"

"_Pikachu_," his pet said.

"My name's Brock," the older boy stepped forward, imitating his younger friend. "I'm from Pewter City."

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance," Falcon grinned. He turned to the blunette. "And you are?"

The boys looked at her and saw that she was staring at him, eyes wide and mouth hanging open slightly. She was looking him up and down as though inspecting a wardrobe.

"Uh...Dawn?" Ash raised an eyebrow. "Are you okay? You wanna introduce yourself?"

"Huh? Oh!" Dawn exclaimed, excited for some reason as she shook his hand. "So sorry! I'm Dawn! Nice to meet you, Mr. Falcon!" She was still shaking his hand. "Or can I call you Douglas? Or how about Doug? Yeah, that sounds cuter! Anyways, it's a pleasure to meet you! I hope you don't have any plans for tonight, because I'm –"

"Okay, okay, okay," Falcon chuckled, pulling his hand away. "It's a pleasure to meet you guys, but I gotta go check on my partner. See ya round!" With that, he walked past them, accidentally brushing against Dawn's arm as he did so. "Sorry!"

Dawn didn't hear the apology. She was staring at him while his back was turned with a longing expression on her face. "He...he touched me," she whispered, as though about to faint. "So handsome...so perfect…"

"You okay, Dawn?" Ash asked, puzzled.

"Huh?! Oh, yes, I'm just fine, thank you!" she exclaimed, once again overly excited. "Just slightly tired from training, that's all! Yeah, that's all! I need a nap! See ya later!" With that, she ran the same way Captain Falcon went, leaving Ash and Brock behind.

"What's gotten into her?" Ash wondered.

"I think Croagunk's gonna have a new patient," Brock muttered.

* * *

**And _I'm_ writing the prescriptions! *chuckles evilly* I'm gonna have a lot of fun writing the next chapter or so.**

**Oh, by the way, if you read over Captain Falcon's entrance while playing one of the Mute City themes in your head, it makes it that much more epic.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Stuck on a Balcony

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you'll have to stay here for a few days so we can follow up on your ankle."

Samus' mouth hung open, a blank expression on her face. "You're kidding."

"No," the nurse shook her head sadly. "You actually sprained it."

"I don't have time to worry about my stupid ankle!" she snapped.

"You don't really have a choice," the nurse shrugged as she bent down to wrap her ankle in something. "This should help you walk until it's all better."

Samus clenched her fists, grinding her teeth. _Now what do I do?_

* * *

"Now what do we do?" Falcon wondered aloud.

"That's what I've been asking myself," Samus growled, fists balled at her side.

"Looks like we're stuck here for a while," Falcon shrugged, leaning on the railing on the building's outdoor balcony on the second floor. The sun shone on Samus, causing her hair to glow. Falcon saw this and smiled to himself as he stared at her.

"What?" Samus asked, glaring at him.

"Huh? Oh, nothing," he started, turning away. "I was just checking to make sure you didn't get any injuries on your face, that's all, but it looks like you're fine, so – YOW!"

Samus slapped him. "Don't think I don't know what you were really doing. I'm not stupid."

"If that's the case," Falcon rubbed his cheek, "then why don't you find something else to wear? You don't leave much to the imagination."

She stepped within inches of his face, teeth clenched. "Keep it up, and when I get my Power Suit back, I'll make sure that you don't even have an imagination to use when you look at me. Got it?"

Falcon raised his hands up and backed away a step. "All right, all ready. Jeez, what's your problem?"

"You are my problem," she snapped back, turning towards the door. "You and the lot of them."

"Hey, if this is about working with me on that mission, then I'll have you know that I contacted every other bounty hunter in the galaxy before I contacted you, okay? You were my last resort."

She opened the door and glared at him one more time. "And that's supposed to make me feel better?" She didn't wait for an answer. Instead, she roughly shut the door behind her, leaving a puzzled captain in her wake.

"What was that all about?"

He jolted at the sudden voice and looked up. Ash was sitting on the roof. "Whoa! How'd you get up there?" he asked.

"I climbed up here," Ash smirked, easing down the slanted roof.

"Really?" Falcon raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Ash nodded as he pulled himself over the edge. "I used to do that occasionally, but I've done it a lot more since I came to Sinnoh." He let himself drop down onto his two feet.

"You a monkey of sorts?"

"I guess," he chuckled, turning around to face his companion. "Brock once said that I was like a human Aipom."

"Pom-pom?" Falcon raised an eyebrow.

"No, Aipom. It's a monkey-like Pokemon, you know?"

Falcon blinked. "Not really."

"Oh." He shrugged and leaned on the railing, looking out at the darkening expanse. "So, if you don't mind me asking, what were the two of you talking about?"

"Eh, nothin' much," Falcon casually leaned against the railing with one arm.

"I don't know," Ash smirked slightly. "Judging from how she reacted, it sounds kinda like you're making advances on her."

"What?!" Falcon exclaimed, blushing. "That's ridiculous! Why would I do that?!"

"I don't know," Ash shrugged. "Maybe because you like her?"

"That's stupid. I don't like her at all, least of all like _that_."

"Then why are you blushing?"

Falcon blinked, then smacked his face with his hand. "For the love of –!"

"Ah, don't feel too bad. At least you had the guts to try to get a girl to like you."

The captain looked back up on hearing his companion's sudden change in tone and saw that he was looking down at the expanse beneath them, eyes shaded under his hat. "What do you mean?"

For a moment Ash didn't answer. Then he sighed deeply and said, "Nothing."

Falcon shrugged and walked back inside, leaving Ash alone. The trainer looked up, a sad gaze in his eyes, and shuffled through his pockets. After a moment, he pulled out a ribbon: half of one, to be precise. It was pink, with white tinge, and a glimmering medal that resembled half of the sun adorned it. He looked up at the moon, currently in its waning-quarter phase, and held the ribbon up so that it looked as though it was the other half of the moon.

"I didn't realize that parting with you would be so painful," he said, apparently talking to himself. "I'm glad you're becoming the best you can be, but...it feels like part of me is missing since you're gone." He sighed heavily. "I really miss you...and I really wanna see you again. But knowing that you're pursuing your dreams makes the pain worth it. When we said we'd see each other soon, I figured sooner was better. But at the end of the day, I can wait forever."

"Hmph."

He jolted and whirled around to see Samus standing there, arms folded across her chest, a bitter frown on her face. "Words, words, and even more meaningless words," she scoffed. "I feel sorry for any girl who would buy that load of bull shit."

"It's not bull shit," he put the ribbon back in his pocket and folded his arms across his chest, mirroring her posture. "It's true. I meant every word."

"Uh-huh, sure," Samus rolled her eyes. "Just like every other boy: always looking to reel in the girl. Or maybe you were talking about a boy?"

"No, it was a girl," he shook his head, completely missing the point.

"Hmph," she smirked, turning away. "Well, I hope she sees through your facade and cuts you off. There are enough broken hearts in the universe as it is." She opened the door and was about to walk into the building, when Ash replied in an innocent, matter-of-fact tone:

"Your solution to that problem is kinda self-defeating."

Her eyes hardened, steeling themselves over. Slowly and menacingly, she turned around and glared straight into Ash's brown eyes. "Excuse me?"

"She's already miles away from here," he explained, "and I miss her like crazy. If she cut me off, I don't know what would happen. One night or two, I even had a nightmare about how that would play out." He shuddered. "Those were horrible experiences. I'm glad I don't remember them."

"You deserve to remember them."

Ash looked up in surprise. "Huh?"

"If she's smart, she'll leave you forever." She chuckled bitterly. "Any woman who falls for a man will only end up alone and forgotten at best."

Ash's arms tensed up. "That's a really grey view of a relationship, don't you think?"

"It's the only view that makes sense," she muttered. "Your so-called friend is pretty stupid if she thinks you actually care about her."

"Hey!" Ash exclaimed, shocked at the abrupt insult, then he calmed himself. "Take it back," he growled in a low voice.

"Not happening."

"Well, you're wrong," he snapped. Samus merely smirked as she rolled her eyes. _Here comes the monologuing again._ "She is pretty," Ash continued, "but she is _not_ stupid. None of them are."

Samus started, her smug smirk disappearing. _That's not what I thought he would say._ "And why's that?" she pressed on, taking a different approach. "Because she's willing to submit herself to your perverted desires?"

"No," Ash shook his head, fists balled at his sides. _This is starting to agitate me now._ "Because she's kind, talented, and caring. She always was kind, her talent is constantly developing, and she cares about everyone. If that's what you call stupid, then I'd hate to see what intelligence is." With that, he turned and walked in, leaving Samus behind, an eyebrow raised.

"Say what you want," she muttered smugly. "The truth will come out, and when it does, then I'll consider taking it back."


	6. Chapter 6

**Holy cow, is this late or what?! I am so sorry I didn't post when I said I would. I'm on summer break now, and I just lost my job, dammit. That being said, I should have plenty of time to continue this story. The real question is, will writer's block continue to be the bastard that it's been to me?**

**Sorry about the language. I'm at a low place right now. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this piece of sh–CHAPTER! I was GOING to say chapter...**

* * *

Chapter 6: Growing Up?

"Sheesh," Ash muttered as he opened the door to his room that night. "Talk about misandry! Whatever that means."

"_Pi?_"

Ash saw his faithful companion standing on his bed, tilting his head curiously. "It's nothing," he smiled, sitting down a moment to scratch him behind the ears. "That Samus girl is just a little harsh, that's all. I'm not sure why, but whatever." He got up and headed into the bathroom. Ten minutes later, he came out in his pajamas, his wild hair flying all over the place since he dried it.

"_Pikaaaaaa_," Pikachu yawned.

"Yeah, me too," Ash agreed, yawning. "We should get some rest." He crawled into bed and pulled the covers over himself, closing his eyes and allowing himself to melt into the soft bed. He felt something soft and fuzzy rub against his face. Smiling at the touch, he opened one eye and saw Pikachu standing there, smiling, before hopping down and curling up.

"Sleep well, buddy," he smiled, laying flat on his back with his arms behind his head. His smile turned neutral as he started thinking again.

_Women are so confusing_ he sighed, eyes closing.

* * *

"So where's your Power Suit?"

Samus looked up and saw Falcon leaning against the wall right next to her. "That woman has part of it. I think she wants the whole thing for something."

"What for?"

"Not sure. I can't see why she would use it. I'm the only one who can make it function."

"Well, she obviously wants it for something," Falcon shrugged. "We'd better get it back."

"Excuse me," Samus got up from her leaning position and walked towards the forest. Falcon stayed put and just smiled as he watched her hips sway with her movement.

"Hey there, Dig Dug."

"Huh?" he turned, slightly startled, only to see it was Dawn. "Oh, it's you. Hello."

She grinned from her position leaning against the railing just above. "Whatcha doing out here so early in the morning?"

"Eh, nothing. Samus just got up early, so I got up to make sure she didn't do anything stupid."

"Mmhmm. So, are you hungry, cuz I'm starving!"

Falcon chuckled slightly. "Nah, I'm good."

"Aw, come on, Dig Dug," she pouted cutely. "I know you're hungry. Come on in and we can get some pancakes. I know how to make them pink and shape them like hearts."

"That's very kind of you," he nodded, "but I think I'll pass." He stepped forward slightly and stretched, raising his muscular arms above his head. Then he turned around, giving Dawn a full view of his chest.

"Ohhhhhhh man," she hummed, staring dreamily at him. "That is hottttttt."

"Ah," Falcon exhaled. "Much better." He resumed his leaning position.

"Aw, don't stop!" she pouted cutely again. "I was just getting started!"

Falcon scratched the back of his head. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Come on, Dig Dug, please stretch for me again?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Uh…"

"Pleeeeeeeease?"

He blinked. "I am never going to understand women."

* * *

"You're up late."

Ash looked up, surprised. "I am?"

"_Pi_?"

"Yeah," Brock nodded. "It's nearly lunchtime."

Ash glanced at the clock. It read 11:30. "Brock," he chuckled, "Daylight Savings ended last night." He grabbed the clock and rewound it to 10:30.

"Oh, yeah," Brock laughed. "Forgot about that."

"Uh, guys?"

The two of them turned to see Falcon watched in, a dreamy-eyed Dawn latched onto his arm. Her face nuzzled his arm.

"Er...Dawn?" Ash raised an eyebrow. She didn't respond.

"Hello? Earth to Dawn," Brock did likewise. Still no response.

"Mmmmmm," she hummed, rubbing her face against his arm. "So strong...I wonder what it looks like under the shirt."

Ash blinked. "Uh...Pikachu? Think you could lend a small hand?"

Pikachu nodded and released a very weak Thundershock. But the shock was on them, as Dawn wasn't even fazed. Pikachu hopped off his shoulder and slapped her lightly with his tail. Still no response.

"This is really awkward," Ash put a hand behind his head.

"I'd call out Croagunk, but I don't think even he could snap her out of it," Brock mused.

The door from outside slid open. Samus looked in and stopped dead in her tracks. "What the hell is this?!"

"Looks like Dawn's found herself a new idol," Brock joked.

"Little help, Sam?" Falcon shrugged sheepishly.

Samus glared at him. "You sure you'd rather not drag her into the bedroom over there?"

"Knock it off," he frowned. "I just asked for help."

She gave a sly smirk. "All right, then." With that, she whipped out a taser, set it to max power, and slammed it into Dawn's abdomen. The effect was as immediate as it was jarring, as Dawn leapt up and fell flat on her back, hair wild and eyes wide.

"What the –?!" Ash exclaimed.

"_Pika Pi_!" Pikachu cried.

"Well, I guess that worked," Falcon chuckled.

"Augh!" Dawn exclaimed. "My hair!"

"Oh, boy," Brock moaned quietly. "Here it comes."

She glared at Samus, rage burning in her eyes. "What the heck was that for?! I spent an hour this morning doing my hair!"

"Well, I guess it sucks to be you," Samus smirked, unfazed.

Dawn stomped over in front of her to prevent her from walking away. Ash looked at Brock with an uncertain expression on his face. Brock nodded, and the two of them started for the hall, but before they could get out of the crossfire…

"You of all people should know better than to get on a lady's hair's bad side," Dawn growled through grinding teeth. "We work really hard to get it just right!"

"Like I care," Samus spat. "If you're stupid enough to fall for a guy just like that, your hair won't do you a bit of good."

Ash flinched on hearing that. "What did she just say?" he muttered under his breath.

"You are a jerk!" Dawn shouted, storming off to fix her hair.

"Hmhmhmhmhmhm," Samus chuckled, flipping her hair out of her face. "Stupid girl."

"Take it back."

She turned and saw Ash standing in front of her, and he looked pretty angry. "Excuse me?"

"I said take it back," he growled. "She is not stupid. Maybe a little bit of an airhead at times, but she is not stupid."

"Neither am I," Samus snapped back. "I know a stupid girl when I see one." She turned to walk away, only to feel a strong grip on her arm pull her back.

"Let me say that again," Ash growled, eyes burning. "_Take it back_."

She ripped her arm away from him, unfazed. "Or what? I'm not scared of your empty threats, kid."

"Don't try him," Brock tried to warn, but Samus wouldn't hear it.

"What can you do to me?" she leered at Ash. "Nothing. You couldn't carry out a threat even if you wanted to."

"You wanna bet?!" Ash shouted, now thoroughly angered.

"Of course," she smirked, still unfazed. "It's not like I'd lose. Cowards like you couldn't win at chess even if you –"

She never finished, as Ash hauled off and tackled her to the floor. She was shocked for a moment, but she regained her composure and threw him off. He leapt up, grabbed both of her arms, and threw her to the ground face-first. She got up and kicked him with her jet-heels. He rushed at her again, tackling her out the door and into the grass.

"Holy Black Bull!" Falcon exclaimed, shocked. "Is he usually like this?"

Brock shook his head in disbelief. "I've never seen him get so angry."

They ran outside and found Ash and Samus wrestling in the grass. Ash pinned her down. "You take back everything you said right now!" he screamed. "I am not a coward!"

"Stupid brat!" she shouted back, rolling them over so their positions were reversed.

"I said take it back!" he shouted again, reversing their positions once again.

"No!" she spat, pushing on him.

"Okay, that's enough!" Brock shouted, pulling Ash off of her. Samus leapt up and rushed at him, but Falcon held her back, grabbing her waist.

"You two have gone far enough!" he told her. "Just let it – AUUUUUGGGGHHHHH!"

She kicked him in the nuts. "Don't touch me, you bastard!" she screamed, and she turned back towards Ash. He was still very angry, but he was calming down as Brock held him back. She leered at him, condescendingly. "Go ahead. Attack me. I dare you. If you're not the coward you say you're not, then show me." Ash glared into her eyes, fierce rage boiling at her patronizing stare. He clenched his teeth and fists, eyes tensing up.

Then he slowly closed his eyes and let his fists loose. He turned away, head hung down.

Samus just chuckled, walking around him so she was in front of him. "Just as I thought. You can't even bring yourself to fight, hm?" Then she slapped him hard. He winced painfully, holding a hand to his cheek. She turned back towards the Pokemon Center, still chuckling to herself as she strode along. "You're a coward, you know that? You're nothing but an arrogant fool. Pathetic."

Ash didn't respond. He just stood there, holding a hand to his cheek. "I've never attacked someone like that before," he mused to himself.

"Ash?" Brock raised an eyebrow.

Ash turned and looked at his longtime friend; his eyes were auburn instead of brown. "What just happened back there?"

"You're asking me?"

He shook his head. "I would never attack someone like that. How did that happen?"

Brock put a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eye. "I think I know the answer. You're not the same kid Misty and I travelled with back in Kanto and Johto."

Ash raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you've grown up quite a bit," his friend explained. "You're not a child anymore; you're a teenager. Your body is changing. This is a time when your emotions will be a little stronger than you're used to."

Ash blinked as he took this all in. "So...I'm getting older? That's why I attacked her like that?" Brock nodded, and Ash turned away reflectively. After a few minutes, everyone else was inside while he stood out there, facing the forest, still thinking.

"Is this what happens when boys become men?" he asked himself. "We become violent and attack people when we're angry?" He took a step back, face twisted by fear. "No...I don't want that to happen. I don't want to hurt someone just because I'm mad. I'll hurt my friends if I do that!" He fell onto his back, his whole body shaking as his muscles tensed up beyond what the body was capable of. "I don't want it!" he screamed.

* * *

"Uh, guys?"

Everyone turned to Falcon as he stared out the window. "Is Ash prone to seizures?"

"What?" Brock exclaimed, rushing to the window. Ash was outside laying on the ground, shaking uncontrollably. "Oh, no! Dawn! Help me out!"

They rushed outside and brought his shaking body in. "Nurse Joy!" Brock shouted. "Help!"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: A Call to Action

Ash's body continued to convulse as Nurse Joy laid him down on a white bedsheet. His hands tightly gripped the sheets as his form shook. Brock and Dawn stood outside, watching with fearful expressions as he laid there, shaking.

After a minute, he finally stopped, exhaling as his eyes slowly closed. Nurse Joy put a hand to his wrist and looked up, nodding.

"He's alive," Brock nodded back, "but his condition is unknown."

"I hope he'll be okay," Dawn whispered.

They walked back out into the lobby and Dawn sat down with Falcon, clinging to his arm for reassurance. Brock went to the video phone and started dialing.

"What're you doing?" Falcon raised an eyebrow.

"Calling a friend," Brock replied as he dialed. "She'll want to know about this." He held the receiver to his ear as the image of a familiar face came up. "Hi, there," he started out cheerily. "Yes, it has been a while...Really? I'm glad to hear it." He then turned serious. "Listen, there's something you need to know...It's Ash. Something happened out here...Oh, it's nothing too serious. I'm sure he'll be fine." He didn't sound sure. "He got really angry at someone and attacked them," he proceeded to explain what happened. "His body is changing, and it's scaring him." A longer pause. "I just thought you would want to know. You should call him as soon as possible. If anyone can help him, it's you...That's fine. Just make sure you call him...Thank you." With that, he hung up.

"Who was that?" Dawn asked. "Was it May?"

"No," Brock replied. "It was Misty. If anyone can help Ash through this phase, she can."

"Yeah," Dawn said dejectedly, head hanging down slightly. "Assuming he'll still be around to get help."

"Don't say that!" Brock exclaimed. "He's going to be fine. I know he won't fail that easily. He's a fighter."

"You can say that again," Samus scoffed.

"I didn't ask for your input," Brock glared. "This situation's hard enough as it is."

"Yeah, I'll bet. He's probably doing Daisy on hard right now."

"Samus, that's enough!" Falcon suddenly snapped, voice raised. "If you want to rant about it, go somewhere else. Otherwise, zip it."

Samus glared at her partner, then huffed as she turned away. _Men_ she muttered. _They'll never measure up._

"_Pikapi?_"

She turned and saw Pikachu patting her leg cutely, a scared expression on his face. "What is it?" she asked sincerely.

"_Pika Pika...Pikachu_."

Though she couldn't understand what he said, she implicitly understood what he wanted to know. "Don't worry," she said. "He'll be fine, I'm sure." Pikachu nodded and scampered into Dawn's lap, while she turned away.

_He's afraid, is he?_ she thought. _Huh. Those two must be really close._ Her expression softened slightly. _Maybe I shouldn't have pushed him so hard. He doesn't seem all _that _bad...even if he is a guy._

Nearly an hour passed before Nurse Joy came out, her perpetual smile unchanged. Everyone turned to her expectantly. "He's going to be fine," she said. "Just give him some time to rest up, and he'll be good as new."

"Oh, thank goodness," Dawn exhaled. "I was really worried."

"No kidding," Brock agreed. He and Dawn headed out of the room and into the fresh, open air. Falcon, Samus, and Pikachu followed.

"What a strange world this is," Falcon mused. "These creatures are unlike anything I've seen."

"Our Pokemon?" Dawn raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I've never seen creatures like these," he said. "Oh! Right...we're from another galaxy. We got thrown over here when some dirty space pirates threw us over the border."

Samus rolled her eyes. _Spill the beans. Brilliant move, Douglas._

"Really?" Brock said. "Whoa! In that case, we'd be happy to help you get home."

"Yeah!" Dawn grinned. "In fact, I'm sure Ash will be happy to help! He knows a thing or two about manipulating time and space." She clung to Falcon's arm again. "But let's enjoy the time we have right now, shall we?"

"Uh…" was all Falcon could say before Pikachu suddenly shrieked as a strange force yanked him into the air.

"Ah! Pikachu!" Dawn exclaimed, leaving Falcon's side.

"Oh no!" Brock cried.

"Did ya miss us, ya twerps?!"

Brock and Dawn clenched their fists. "You just can't get enough, can you?!"

"No, I'm afraid not," Jessie sneered down at them. "And this time, you're not going to stop us! With our new Mirror-Coat barrier, nothing can break through to us now!"

"We'll see about that!" Samus shouted, rushing forward, but her bad ankle stopped her, tripping her and knocking her flat on her face.

"Have a nice trip!" James taunted.

"Now, try this on for size!" Meowth triumphantly pressed a button. Several metal rods flew out from the bottom of their balloon and slammed onto the heroes below, incapacitating them the same way they had before.

"Augh!" Falcon grunted as his back hit the ground. "Well, it can't get much worse, right?"

Dawn fell on top of him.

"Hey, there," she smirked, staring seductively into his eyes.

Falcon deadpanned.

"See ya later, losers!" Team Rocket shouted, laughing all the while. "Now that we have Pikachu _and_ the Power Suit, _nothing's_ gonna stop us from taking over the energy market!"

"Not this time, you dirty crooks!"

Everyone turned on hearing the sudden voice. "Ash?!"

"Gah!" Jessie exclaimed. "It's the main twerp!"

"How did we miss him?!" James cried.

"I was never out here," he smirked, whipping out all his Pokeballs. "And pretty soon, no one's gonna know that you were here, either! Monferno! Grotle! Buizel! Get them!" With that, he released his Pokemon, and they all attacked simultaneously. The pressure from all their attacks striking at once brought Team Rocket's barrier to its knees and sent them soaring.

"DAMMIT!" Jessie cursed. "It took me hours to calibrate that barrier to perfection!"

"Hey, come on, now!" Meowth shouted. "Cut the language! This is a kid's show, after all!"

"Then why is it rated T?" James replied.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Meowth snapped.

"I rest my case."

"LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAIN!"

_Ding._

"Is everyone all right?" Ash asked, loosing their bonds.

"Yes," Dawn replied. "Thanks, Ash."

"My pleasure," he smiled. He raised an eyebrow. "Uh, Dawn? Aren't you gonna get up?"

"Nah," she grinned, laying her head on Falcon's chest. "This is perfect."

"Sorry, but I need you to get up," Samus said, her tone serious. "I need his help."

"With what?" Dawn pouted cutely, hoping it would work.

"It looks like those crooks have my Power Suit, and I intend to get it back."

"Now we're talking!" Falcon sprang up, accidentally throwing Dawn off of him. "Let's hatch a plan!"

"Excuse me!?" Dawn exclaimed. "You ruined my hair!"

"Oh, for gosh' sakes," Ash moaned.

"_Pika_," Pikachu sighed.


End file.
